Hermione's Birthday
by Lyxsing
Summary: Hermione's coming of age, and she invites hyper muggle friends! What will Harry and Ron do, especially after Dumbledore's death? Do not read without reading Half Blood Prince first!
1. The Idea

I'm writing this with Namine14, Kyllex of Darkness, and Rihxanonn of Evilness.

Disclaimer: I don't own any Harry Potter characters, but I sure wish I did!

Oh yeah, I'm trying to make it funny, I really am, but I promise it will get better once the party actually starts! Really!

Chapter 1: The Idea

* * *

"Hermione, take a seat at the end," Mrs. Granger gestured to the last of four chairs in her dental office. "I'll be with you in a moment." She hurried over to her other patient.

Hermione sat in the adjustable chair, reaching over to operate the controls to raise it to an upright position. She waited for several moments, apprehensively preparing what she was going to say.

"OK, I'm done." Her mother plopped down in the swivel chair behind Hermione. "What did you want to tell me?"

"Well, you know my birthday's coming up..."

Her mother nodded. "August 19th. Open wide."

Hermione obliged, stretching her jaw to accommodate her mother's probe. "An'ah com' off agef thif yar," she mumbled, her speech impeded by the size of the tool now being poked around her gums.

"Oh yes! I had forgotten it was a year earlier for witches! Did you want to plan something special?" She lay down her instruments, allowing Hermione to relax. "You haven't done anything the last six years."

"Well, I've been busy with Hogwarts!" Hermione retorted. But she looked thoughtful. "You're right. I was thinking of inviting some of my old, non-magic friends as well as Harry and Ron." (Hermione never used the word muggle around her parents, she considered it a tad offensive. Just imagine if your daughter went around calling you a muggle. Ok, that's a little freaky.)

"Oh, like Kelly, Noelle, Glynis, and that hyper one, what was her name?"

Hermione grinned as countless memories of crazy sleepovers and birthday parties flooded her mind. "Rhiannon."

"Oh yes. How could I forget _her_?" Mrs. Granger teased. "Do you think Harry and Ron will like them?"

Hermione's smile faded. Oooh. Harry. She had completelyforgotten. What would he be like, after Dumbledore's death? Ouch.

"We'll talk more later," Her mother turned to greet a new patient, waving Hermione towards the door.

"Alright. See ya later."

* * *

(At this point, I would like to apologize for the added family member you're about to read about. My sister is forcing me at knifepoint to add her to my story.)

"This sounds fun!" Mr. Granger was ecstatic. He stabbed at his salad absentmindedly with his dessert fork. "You could have your magical friends come a day later to let you catch up with the other girls." He glanced down at his food and, realizing what he was doing, exchanged his fork for his forgotten salad utensil, muttering darkly about protocol and fancy forks.

Mrs. Granger rolled her eyes and turned to Hermione. "It's settled then. I think you're old enough to make the arrangements yourself. Just give me the invitations so I can mail them."

"Who are you inviting, Mione?" piped up Hermione's adopted younger sister, Allison. She was only six.

Hermione ignored her sister for the moment and spoke instead to her mother. "Thank you, but I should be able to send Ron and Harry's by owl. Harry sends Hedwig over almost everyday, he's just begging for mail."

"Alright. We better get them out early, so everyone can fit it into their schedules." Mrs. Granger concluded. "Speaking of schedules, we only have three patients tomorrow..."

Hermione quickly lost interest in the conversation. She was already planning.

* * *

When Hermione finished the invitations, the only owl available wasn't Hedwig, but the tiny Pigwidgeon.

"Why on earth did Ron send you?" Hermione raged at the cute, fuzzy owl. "There's no way you can lift all three envelopes." She had decided to invite Ginny as well. This might help Ron and Harry connect with Hermione's muggle friends.

Just then she noticed a strip of parchment tied to Pig's leg with a length of red ribbon. She unwound it, while Pig tried desperately to fly with Hermione's hand clamping him to the window. The note read:

Hermione–

Harry's at the Burrow. Want to come?

–Ron.

Hermione scowled. Snatching up her fancy, eagle feather quill from her desk, she scribbled a reply on the back of Ron's paper:

Ron-

Send Hedwig! LLL

–Hermione.

"Only hope he knows what LLL means she said as she secured the paper to Pigwidgeon. "You tell them it's Longer Letter Later, OK?" She hurled the owl out the window like the world's fuzziest baseball.

* * *

Okay, sorry this chapter wasn't very funny, but I'll get better, I promise!

Lyxsing


	2. Kelly

Ok, now it's Kelly's turn to write a chapter!

* * *

Hi hi! Kyllex of Darkness here! Please enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything and Lyxsing doesn't own anything in fact none of us own anything! Got it memorized?

* * *

Kelly was doing cartwheels in her living room with her younger cousin Malina. 

"NOOO! It's like this!" she said. She did a perfect cartwheel, and Malina tried to copy her. But Malina's cartwheel looked more like a donkey kick/attempted handstand.

"Ugh, it's no use." Kelly said. "You'll never learn! Just, go take gymnastics or something."

"Well it's hard! You don't have to be such a big meanie," Malina replied.

"Kelly! You got mail." Kelly's mom said, throwing the letter at her. Kelly caught it in her hands.

"Dude! Yay yay yay yay yay yay yay yay yay yay yay yay yay! I NEVER get mail!" Kelly screamed as she hopped around the house. Finally she stopped and looked at the label.

"Who's it from?" her little sister Lisa asked.

"NONE OF YOUR BUISINESS!" Kelly screamed, opening the letter.

"Whoa! That's cool paper! Who's it from?" Ari, her other cousin, asked her.

"Hermione! Her birthday is coming up!" Kelly said.

"Hey! Why'd you tell her and not me?" Lisa asked.

"Because, she's not a MEAN little sister! She's an awesome cousin!" Kelly said. Lisa frowned, and Kelly stuck her tongue out at her.

"Hermione Granger? You haven't seen her in a while. When's her party?" Kelly's mom asked her.

"It's August 13th, at her house! For a whole week! I can't wait to see her again! This is going to be so awesome!" Kelly exclaimed.

"Cool, what are you going to get her?" Ari asked.

"I don't know, something awesome!" Kelly replied. "I'm soooo psyched!"

"Hey, how do you know Hermione again? When did you meet her?" Lisa asked her sister.

"Oh! She went to elementary school with me until she was called away to go to boarding school. Sometimes she comes home during the holidays and we get to see her. But since last Christmas I've only emailed her and stuff." Kelly said.

"I see! That's sooo awesome! Do I get to come?" Lisa asked.

"No way! Hey! I know what she would like! Some new books. The one thing I remember is that Hermione Granger LOVES books!" Kelly said.

* * *

Yay! Sorry it's kinda short. I guess. Well yeah! Hope you enjoy the other chapters, too! YAY HERMIONE! She's my second favorite character! Besides Luna of course. You gotta love Looney Lovegood! 

Kyllex -


	3. Glynis

Yay! Now I get to write my chapter!

Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter, would this story even exist? I don't think so!

Chapter 3: Glynis

* * *

"Nikki!" Glynis screamed as her husky wrenched his leash from her hand, scattering the armload of mail she had been carrying. The fluffy black and white dog tore down the long driveway with surprising speed for his age. Cursing him under her breath, the teenager knelt to gather the letters and magazines scattered across the road.

"Bills, ads, horse magazine, more bills," she was taking inventory as she picked them up, when a different letter caught her eye.

Laying aside the rest of the mail, Glynis picked up the thick, parchment letter addressed to her in scarlet ink, in a neat handwriting she vaguely recognized. "No return address," she mused.

Collecting the rest of the mail, she half-ran the remaining quarter mile to her house. Nikki had collapsed on his bed by the door, panting. Glynis smiled and removed his leash before entering the house.

Dropping the rest of the mail by the computer, she hurried up to her room to open her letter.

Two minutes later she ran to the kitchen in an excited frenzy, where her mom was preparing dinner. "Look at this!" she gasped, thrusting the letter under her mom's nose.

Glynis' hand was shaking so much it was impossible to read, so her mom just took it. "'Dear Glynis,'" She read. "'I am having my seventeenth birthday party August 13th through the 19th and was hoping you could come.' Who's it from? Oh, Hermione! You haven't seen her in ages!"

"Yeah," Glynis was rereading the invitation, which continued to include that the party was at her house, starting at 10:30. "I wonder who else is invited."

"We have a phone," Her mom pointed out.

"I know, but how do I ask without being rude if they're not invited?"

"You could call Hermione."

"Maybe," Glynis was sure. She hadn't talked to Hermione in six years.

When Hermione had first left for what she told them was an advanced boarding school, her letters had been frequent. She had described how she had great new friends, was top in her class, and ordinary things like that. Slowly, her letters had petered out, and they never saw each other over the summer. The thing that always struck Glynis as odd was that Hermione never described her teachers, or classes, or even the school in general.

"The party's August 13th, right?" said her mom, pulling Glynis back to earth with a bump.

"Right," she replied, then looked at the kitchen calendar. "Yikes, that's a whole week!"

"And how do you plan to get there?" Her mother asked.

Glynis looked up suspiciously. "What, can't I drive my Bug?" She and her friends had all received their licenses on their 16th birthdays (over a year ago), and for Glynis that had also meant a brand-new blue VW Bug.

Her mom considered it. "Well, with gas prices so high, maybe it would be better to take the bus. I also don't like you driving on Ben Howard road. It's much to fast, and narrow."

"Mo-om!" Glynis whined. "It's only to Monroe!"

"You're taking the bus," Her mom had that final tone to her voice that made Glynis shut up.

* * *

That little review button is calling to you!

Lyxsing


	4. Noelle

Hey readers! Sorry this story is kinda slow, but some people COUGHrihxyCOUGH didn't turn in their chapters... Anyway here's Xonny's!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi! It's Xonelel! Or Noelle. Enjoy the chappie!

Chapter 4: Noelle

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Alright, alright, mom!" Noelle said irritably over her shoulder as her mom told her to get the mail. It was her turn this week, but she had just woken up and was still tired. She put on her clothes haphazardly and teetered towards the door, walking down to the mailbox. It was 10:00, but she usually woke up later.

A wide yawn overtook her mouth as the blonde opened the mailbox, eying the letters inside and then scooping them out. She looked at each on as she walked back up to the house.

"Bills for mom… more bills…" several letters were for her mother and step dad.

"Whoa! One for me!" She excitedly separated it from the rest and ran back inside. She handed the bills, advertisements and other miscellaneous letters to her mom and ran up her room. She ripped off the paper eagerly, with her miniature poodle yelping happily and scratching her to pet him. Noelle petted him absentmindedly as she read the letter in wonder.

"Hermione is inviting me to her birthday party! Hermione Granger? Man, how long as it been since I've seen her! Oh, and it's for a week too! That's great, I'll go tell mom!" Noelle said, hopping out of her chair and showing the letter to her mother.

After her mother had approved, she whooped happily and skipped over to her computer. She began to email all of her friends to say how excited she was.

"This is gonna be so fun! Got it memorized?" She finished, and then pressed send. The email was off into the World Wide Web, and she was ready to start thinking about Hermione's present.

_It's got to be a book. A big, thick, unopened book with adventures and stories ready to spill out! _Noelle thought as she looked on her favorite internet store for the book that would fit this description. Finally she found one.

_Perfect!_

She ordered it, and was all set. Now, all there was to do was wait until the grand party that would await her when she went to Hermione's.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Xonelel: Hehe… Got it memorized? That's a quote from my favorite character from my favorite video game, Axel. Yep, I just had to include it! ((huggles Axel))

Axel: Can't… breathe…

Xonelel: Ron's pretty awesome too! He's my favorite guy Harry Potter character, with Hermione being my favorite girl. Actually, there seems to be something about me and redheads…

Ron: Good luck there, mate.

Axel: Thanks. But she's in this story with you! Be on your guard.

Ron: Crap! ((runs))


	5. Rhiannon

OMG! Rhixy _finally_ wrote her chapter! YAY! Sorry it took so long.

Disclaimer: I own no characters. Not even the OC's.

* * *

Rhiannon

Rhiannon was singing and listening to a My Chemical Romance song when her mom yelled to her, "Rhi!!!! You got a letter from your friend, Hermione! Remember her! You haven't seen her in years!"

"OMG!!! HERMIONE!!!" Rhiannon yelled and ran downstairs, snatched the letter and opened it. It said it was Hermione's birthday party and it was a week long!

"Hey mom, can I come! It's a week long and we are gonna do tons of stuff like watch movies and other fun stuff!" Rhiannon said.

"Uhhhhh let me check the calendar…" (She checked the calendar) "Ok its fine you can come." She replied.

"Hehehehehe! Thanks! I'm gonna go tell Zane!" Rhiannon said then ran into the family room and jumped on the couch and said to Zane, "Hey, guess what?! I'm going to Hermione's birthday for a week!"

"Who's Hermione? I don't know her!" Zane replied.

"Oh yeah I should have known, whatever, bye!" Rhiannon replied. (Zane is my brother he is like 11 years old and yeps he loves to watch tv).

Rhiannon ran back upstairs suddenly very hyper. She decided to call Glynis, Kelly and Noelle.

* * *

After she was done calling them, (they are all coming to the party too) she started to listen to My Chemical Romance, The Black Parade again and sing very loudly.

* * *

Hehehehhehehhehehehe!!!! You wont believe how long I procrastinated on this chappie it was like almost a year! Scary huh? Yeps! Bye byes! I'm hyper lol! 


	6. Harry and Ron

Okay! Here's a chapter about actual HP characters! Amazing! This one was actually written by me (Lyxsing).

Disclaimer: Do I have to spell it out? (Oh yeah, I have to, I'm typing) I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER!!!

Note: I am sticking to the Harry/Ginny and Ron/Hermione relationships that began in Half Blood Prince, though I'm aware that they (and the whole rest of my story) could be blown to smithereens by Deathly Hallows. (Due out in July!)

* * *

Harry and Ron

"Harry! There's a letter for you!" Harry jerked out of his moody trance just in time to catch the paper missile Ron had just launched at him.

"Mum says they're from Hermione," Ron explained, flopping down on the orange bedspread of his room, with a letter of his own. From his seat on the windowsill, Harry said "I didn't know she got an owl."

"Pig delivered them," Ron said. "I had sent him to her. You know, just to say hi." A red tinge began to spread across his face. Fred and George had been mercilessly teasing Ron about his growing relationship with Hermione.

Together, they ripped the envelopes to shreds in an attempt to open the well-sealed letters. Eventually, their contents were exposed:

Dear Harry (Ron),

I am hosting my coming-of-age celebration August 14th through the 19th and was hoping you could attend. Please RSVP ASAP.

-Hermione

P.S. If you didn't understand all that, I want you to come to my 17th birthday party.

P.P.S. There will be muggles present. PLEASE dress and arrive mugglishly.

(AN: Sorry this letter is badly formatted, but it gets messed up when converted to fanfic format)

Harry and Ron looked at each other. "'Mugglishly?'" Harry said.

"'PPS?'" said Ron.

"Seventeen?!" Ginny burst into the room. "Yikes, you people are _old!_"

"Oy!" complained Ron. "That's not old!"

"Wait, did you get an invitation, too?" Harry asked.

"Yeah!" exclaimed Ginny. "What do muggles do at their parties?"

"Well, I don't really know how they're different from wizard parties," said Harry. "They do cake, and presents, and sing 'Happy Birthday.'"

"What the heck is 'Happy Birthday'?" Ron asked in disbelief.

"You guys seriously don't know what 'Happy Birthday' is?" Harry asked in equal disbelief. Ron and Ginny shook their heads. "It's a song muggles sing…" Harry prompted. When no look of recognition dawned on the sibling's faces, he gave up, and lapsed into a thoughtful silence, contemplating his (and Dudley's) birthdays, in the days before Hogwarts. He remembered countless horrors: a bulldog chasing him up a tree, Dudley's attempts at flushing his head down the loo, a posse of short, round boys chasing him around the house armed with baseball bats…

Harry was jerked from his memories when Ron cleared his throat. With dismay, Harry realized that the whole time he had been thinking, about five minutes, he had been humming "Happy Birthday."

"Um, yeah," He muttered, uncomfortably aware that Ron and Ginny were staring at him. After a few more seconds of strenuous silence, the conversation turned to presents. Most importantly was the problem of where to get them.

"Mum will never let us go into Diagon Alley, you know, with You-Know-Who and all that," Ron said.

"We'll just have to _persuade _her," Ginny said, with a pointed look at Ron's wand, lying on his desk.

"Oh come off it, Harry's the only one allowed to do magic yet, and we don't know ay spells that could make Mum let us go shopping." Ron rolled his eyes.

(AN: I realize that Ron's birthday is never spoken of, but I always imagined him younger than the other two.)

"Won't she let us go to get a present for Hermione?" Harry asked.

"Maybe," Ginny said.

"We'll get back to that. Right now, we need to figure out how to get there. I mean, without magic." Ron said.

"Is there a bus station in Ottery St Catchpole?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, but we never use it," Ginny said. "None of us understand muggle money, and Mum thinks it's too filthy."

"Let's just use that," Harry said. "Send Pig to get directions, then let's ask your mum about shopping."

* * *

When they got downstairs, Mrs. Weasley was just as opposed to the outing as they had expected. 

"Absolutely not!" She cried. "Did you think I would let you run around unfamiliar stations with no way to protect yourselves, with You-Know-Who out there?"

"Mum, Harry has his magic now!" Ron said.

"And do you really think Voldemort will be in Ottery St Catchpole?" Harry asked, but he felt bad, arguing with someone who was just trying to protect them.

"And what about the present?" Ginny whined.

"You can't go into London now!" Mrs. Weasley blustered.

"It's okay Molly, I'll take them with me when I stop by Gringotts next week," Arthur said. He had been sitting at the kitchen table, reading the newspaper.

"Oh alright," Mrs. Weasley sighed. She glanced nervously at the magical clock on the wall. As they had been since Voldemort's return, all nine hands were pointed at "mortal peril."

* * *

(Insert suspenseful music) Thanks for reading! Please review! 


	7. Party Time!

Hi! Sorry this is taking SO long to write. I'm trying to get better. I've been stuck with honors projects, high school applications, my after-school job, NJHS meetings, planning the London and Paris trip, track practice, and a sprained ankle.

Oh yeah, sorry about the age mix up. I reread Half Blood Prince and realized you guys were right. So, yeah, too bad. In this story, Harry's the oldest, Hermione's next, and then Ron is the youngest.

Disclaimer: Psst! Guess what? I actually wrote Harry Potter! I used a pen name! I also live in this really cool place called the mental institute! My room's the one with the padded walls, and says "Life sentence" on the door. Hehe!

Day One

* * *

Hermione woke up hyped for the party. She was so eager she couldn't think straight. 

She used conditioner before shampoo in the shower.

She ate her cereal with a fork.

She ate her cantaloupe with a knife.

She put her dirty dishes in the oven.

"Honey, are you all right?" her mother asked, rescuing the dishes and storing them safely in the dishwasher.

"Hm? Oh, I guess I'm just excited."

"Just don't break anything," her mother cautioned, right as Hermione walked into the priceless china cabinet.

"Out!" she shooed Hermione.

For the hour and a half Hermione had to wait before her friends showed she tried to read, watch cartoons with Allison, and chat online. But she couldn't concentrate, Allison was too annoying, and her friends were all on their way there.

* * *

"MOM! IT'S TIME TO LEAVE!!!!" Kelly waited anxiously for her mom to get out of the shower. 

"One minute!" Her mom eventually came out and they got in the car. "Oh no, I forgot my keys," her mom said, and hurried back inside.

"Aarrgh!" Kelly bounced up and down in the front seat, the waiting making her hyper.

"Got them," her mom finally drove out of the garage.

"We're gonna be late," Kelly moaned.

"No we're not," her mom chided, driving carefully and excruciatingly slowly.

* * *

"Asta la vista!" Glynis called to her horses as she tossed them flakes of hay. She waved goodbye to her mom, dad, and sister as she backed her VW bug out of the garage. 

Fifteen minutes later she arrived at the town's park and ride. She parked and raced up to the bus that was just pulling away from the curb. She hopped on and pulled her iPod out of her purse, switched on "American Idiot," and settled in for the long bus ride.

She watched with interest as her fellow bus riders slept, snored, read, and pulled each other's hair. Two dorky teenage boys, one with a blonde afro and the other with a mullet, argued over whose cousin could beat them up more. (a/n: true story…)

* * *

"Bye, Mom!" Noelle called as she hopped in her car. She drove to Rhiannon's house to pick her up. 

"Hi!" Rhiannon screamed as Noelle drove up. They stuffed her duffel bag in the back before resuming their drive.

"Wow," Rhiannon said. "Your parents actually let you drive all the way there?"

"Of course," said Noelle. "Yours don't?"

"Dad won't let me drive _anywhere_," Rhiannon pouted. "They won't let me after I ran Zane over."

"You ran him over!?" Noelle screeched.

"He was fine," Rhiannon said in a disappointed tone. "He didn't even go under the tires."

* * *

Ten minutes before the party was supposed to begin, the doorbell rang. Hermione raced to get it. It was Glynis. 

"Hi!" she said, the excitement of seeing her old friends making her hyperly out of character.

"Hey!" said Glynis. She was holding a large, brightly colored present and had a bulky duffel bag hanging off her shoulder.

"Here, let me take that," Hermione accepted the present and led Glynis inside. They dumped her bag in the living room.

"Sorry I got here so early," Glynis said sheepishly.

"No problem," Hermione said gratefully. (a/n: I'm trying to use more _adverbs_. Happy, Mr. Klune?)

"Looks like I'm not the only one," Glynis commented, seeing a second car pulling up the driveway.

Hermione had the door open before Kelly could knock. "Hey!" she said enthusiastically.

"HI! OMG, WE WEREN'T LATE!" Kelly screamed. Glynis helped them haul her bags inside.

"Hello, girls!" Mrs. Granger met them in the living room. "Wow, you've gotten so tall." Leave it to a mom to point out something like that.

"This is my little sister, Allison," Hermione introduced them. Allison, being only five, hid behind her mom.

"She's shy around new people," Hermione explained, just as the doorbell rang again.

There were many more rounds of "Hi's" and "OMG we haven't seen you in ages" before they got Rhiannon and Noelle's luggage into the living room. The presents were stacked on the coffee table.

For a moment everyone just stood looking around, not sure what to say, then Hermione's mom said, "Why don't you girls go sit in the garden while I get lunch ready?"

They filed outside, and sat down around the picnic table. "So how's life?" Hermione asked.

The guests launched into a detailed description of their high school. Hermione was surprised to discover that she actually cared about what they were telling her, usually she detested gossip. But she enjoyed hearing about the latest antics of the school's trouble makers, the disastrous school dance, and the problems with the school's least reputable flirts.

They talked for what seemed like hours, until her mom called them in for lunch. The 4 large cheese and pepperoni pizzas disappeared in record time.

"Wow," her mom commented. "We'll have to buy more next time."

They headed up to Hermione's room after lunch.

"So," Kelly said. "We've told you all about high school. What's it like at boarding school?"

"Interesting," Hermione began. "I've made great friends, and the classes are _fascinating._"

"Geez," Glynis said. "I can't imagine going to boarding school."

"Yeah," Noelle added. "I mean, don't you hate being away from your family?"

"It used to bother me," Hermione answered. "But not anymore, not really."

"I guess it's a way to escape your little sister," Kelly surmised.

"I'd _love_ to get away from Zane," Rhiannon emphasized.

"Did you hear she ran him over?" Noelle interjected.

They spent several minutes talking about that. (a/n: OK, this isn't actually true, sorry Rhiannon.) Finally the conversation returned to Hermione's "boarding school."

"What's it called again?" Glynis asked.

"Eastside Prep," Hermione gave the name of a school one of her old friends had gone to.

"Isn't that where Electra went?" Rhiannon asked. "But then she transferred to _another _one."

"I don't know," Hermione answered truthfully.

Conversation returned to school, but I've decided to take pity and not bore you with all the details. I'll skip to when they return to interesting stuff.

"Is anyone else coming to the party?" Noelle asked.

"Yeah, three more people from my new school are arriving tomorrow." Hermione answered. "Harry, Ron, and Ginny."

"You invited _guys_?!" all four girls exclaimed in unified disbelief.

"Well, yeah, they're my best friends."

"Question: where are we all going to sleep?" Kelly interjected.

"Um, yeah, didn't think of that…" Hermione mused.

"GASP! Hermione didn't think?!" Rhiannon looked around. "Someone pinch me!" Glynis proceeded to do so, and Rhiannon screeched "OW!"

"Well, I guess we could sleep in the family room and the guys could sleep in the living room," Noelle suggested.

Hermione objected. "Yeah, except that Mom and Dad's patients would come in and see a couple of teenage boys conked out on the floor."

"Oh, didn't think of that," Noelle abated.

"They can sleep in the hall!" Kelly suggested. When everybody stared, she shrugged and said "hey, it's the best plan yet."

"I guess so," Hermione admitted.

* * *

That evening, Hermione's parents got Chinese takeout, then drove the girls to see _Shrek the Third_. The car ride home turned into a deep and meaningful philosophical discussion of the movie. 

"The second was the best one!" Rhiannon yelled.

"No, the first one was!" screamed Kelly.

"Second!

"First!"

"Second!"

"THIRD!" countered Noelle. Rhiannon and Kelly stared at her. "What?" she said. "I was just trying to get you two to shut up!"

That night, they all slept in the family room, except for Allison, who threw a major tantrum before stomping off to her room to sleep.

* * *

YAY! I updated! Here's a deal: I won't update again until I get three more reviews! (ones from Rhi, Kelly, or Noelle dont' count)

Thanks!


	8. Making Use of Public Transportation

I am so sorry I haven't updated, and I really don't have a good excuse this time! So, obviously now _Deathly Hallows_ has arrived and my story has gone kablooie, but let's just pretend it doesn't exist, okay?

Disclaimer: I own none of J.K. Rowling's stuff and I own all of my stuff. Clear?

* * *

"Leave it to Hermione to make us get up at this ungodly hour just to go to a birthday party," Ron muttered angrily as he, Harry, and Ginny stood outside the Burrow with their luggage. 

Harry couldn't help grinning before quickly returning to his usual gloom.

"Alright," Mrs. Weasley hurried out of the front door. "Ginny, have you got your hairbrush packed?"

"Yes, Mum."

"And Harry, you didn't leave your wand lying around?"

"No, Mrs. Weasley."

"Ron, did you pack that underwear I washed last night?"

Ron groaned as Ginny started to giggle. "Yes Mum, I did!" Harry and Ginny erupted into twin roaring fits of laughter.

"Well, I'm glad to see you're cheering up," Mrs. Weasley said sternly. Harry's face went straight immediately. "That's all right Harry," she added.

Mr. Weasley came out the front door, then turned and hollered inside, "Hurry up you two, everyone else is already out here!"

"Oh no, Fred and George aren't com-" Ron was cut off by a loud _CRACK_ as the twins apparated right in front of them, each carrying a large suitcase.

"Oh yes we certainly are," George replied, holding up an invitation identical to the others'.

"Yes, we're here to make sure the wittle wizards get there okie-dokie," Fred said in a baby voice. Ron growled.

"Is there a problem?" Mrs. Weasley asked briskly.

"No, Mum," Ron muttered darkly.

"Now, I want you all to be good guests and help out Mr. and Mrs. Granger," Mrs. Weasley continued. "Heaven knows they have enough on their plate, what with eleven children running around their house!"

"We aren't children, Mum!" Ron protested.

"So be helpful and polite," she continued as if Ron hadn't spoken. "And take your dishes to the kitchen when you're through eating."

Ginny rolled her eyes. Everyone exchanged good-bye hugs and handshakes with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley before setting off on foot towards the town of Ottery-St.-Catchpole.

"Here Harry, you better handle the money. None of us understand muggle money." Ron handed Harry a surprisingly large bundle of bills.

"Um, okay. It's not that hard really. See, one pound notes, the ones with the little one in the corner, it takes five of them to make up a fiver, the ones with the little fives in the corner…" and so on.

Eventually they reached the bus station. It was a run-of-the-mill little building that badly needed a fresh coat of paint. Inside, it was dimly lit by fluorescent lights. They looked around nervously.

There were two men in standing in the corner trying very hard not to look at each other. A vending machine in the opposite corner had an OUT OF ORDER sign taped to it. A third man dressed in shabby jeans and an army surplus jacket sat at the far wall glaring fixedly at a spot on the floor. On the adjacent wall, an old lady sat knitting a blanket that was such a bright shade of orange it hurt to look at.

Harry swallowed and stepped up to the ticket window.

"Five tickets to Monroe, please."

The woman looked down at him and popped a bubble gum bubble. "Eleven dollars and thirty-five cents," she told him. (a/n: I have NO idea how much bus tickets cost.)

Harry paid. "The train leaves at 8:35," she told him.

Ginny looked at the clock: 7:56. "Get ready to wait," she muttered.

They sat down. Harry didn't realize for a full ten minutes that Ron, sitting next to him, was still muttering angrily about Fred and George joining them. Harry turned to glare at him and he fell silent.

At long last, (or at about 8:15) the loudspeaker crackled to life. "Service to Monroe now boarding," it said.

The assorted young wizards gathered their luggage together and exited via the back door, where they emerged into a large parking lot, with one bus idling directly in front of them.

"'ello!" the bus driver stepped out to open the luggage compartment beneath the bus. "Shall I stow yer bags for you?" He had a very thick British accent.

Harry, Ginny, Fred, and George all handed him their bags, but Ron gave the man a frightened look and sort of threw the bag past him.

"Relax," Harry muttered to him. "It's his job."

"He's trying to take my bag!" Ron hissed back. Harry rolled his eyes.

"Tickets, then?" the man asked. Ron held his out with his thumb and forefinger. Everyone else handed them over casually.

"I'll sit with you," Ginny said to Harry as they boarded the empty bus. "Since Ron's being such a freak."

They sat down and let Ron sit sulkily in front of them. Fred and George made straight to the back of the bus.

They waited there for another ten minutes or so. Just as the bus driver sat down and began to take off the parking brake, a middle-aged man in a business suit dashed up to the bus with his briefcase. There was a hiss of escaping air as the bus doors slid open and then closed behind him.

"Thank you," he panted as he gave his ticket and flopped down in the front seat. He promptly buried himself in the business section of the newspaper. The Weasleys (and Harry) ignored him.

"So what's up Ron? What's with the grumpy act?" Ginny asked.

"I'm not being grumpy!" Ron snapped.

"Earth to Ron? Yeah, you are!" Harry jumped in.

"Ignore him. He just can't stop thinking of meeting Hermione's teenage friends!" Ginny teased.

Ron went bright red. "Nuh-uh!"

"Yeah-huh!"

"Wow, you guys," Harry raised his eyebrows. "Aren't we mature?"

Harry and Ginny talked for a while, and then grew bored. Harry would have begun to slip back into his depressed stupor, had it not been for Ginny's clever plan to keep them entertained: poking Ron.

Don't love it till you try it!

An hour and a half later, the bus driver announced that they would soon be arriving in Monroe, and would you please get ready to unload now? The wizards/witch stretched and yawned, then turned to the windows to get their first look at Hermione's hometown. Quaint houses with well-trimmed yards flashed past, along with a tastefully designed main street, railroad tracks, and parks.

The bus pulled into the station parking lot. Everyone got off, and the luggage compartment was opened.

"Here you are, chaps," the driver said in a cheery voice. Ron stared in freaked horror at the man as he scurried forward to claim his bag.

They passed through the station to reach the main road. Harry couldn't help noticing the differences between this one and the Ottery-St.-Catchpole station. The Monroe station was full of ultra-modern plastic benches, the kind made from recycled milk cartons, and sparkling white tile. It even had a snack bar!

Out on the street, Ginny pulled out Hermione's directions. "'Turn left and walk three blocks until you reach a dark blue house with white trim,'" she read.

Ron looked around. Fred and George were standing several feet away, trying to look as though they weren't "with" the others and trying to look cool for a teenage girl talking on her cell phone outside the station.

"Three blocks?" Ron asked. He looked down at the paving slabs on the sidewalk and took three large steps. He was now three pavers down from where he started. "I don't get it."

"Ron, you idiot, she means city blocks." Harry shook his head. "_Wizards!_" he muttered, and set off to their left. Ginny and Ron followed.

Fred and George looked up to find the others gone. "Oi!" Fred shouted, and then ran to catch up.

After walking three blocks, Harry stopped in front of a house. It matched the description. It had a sign on the gate reading "Granger Family Dental." But most importantly, there were four teenage girls in the front garden, one of whom looked very familiar…

* * *

"Wake up!" Hermione opened her eyes in time to see a small, blonde cannonball hurling towards her. A millisecond later the wind was knocked out of her as Allison's voiced shrieked "Bweckfast is weady! Get up!" 

"Unhh," moaned Hermione as the little girl bounced off down the hall. Hermione rolled over to see four groggy shapes emerging from their sleeping bags.

"What time izzit?" Noelle asked with a yawn.

Hermione glanced at the DVD player's clock. "10:04," she answered.

"Wow, your mom let us sleep in," Rhiannon commented.

"Come on, girls," Mrs. Granger marched in to open the curtains. The sleepy teenagers recoiled from the bright sunlight. "I made scrambled eggs and bacon, so hurry up if you don't want it cold." She bustled back out.

The girls staggered to the kitchen and piled into chairs around the table. Each girl received a plate and two platters were set in the center of the table, one stacked high with bacon, the other heaped with scrambled eggs.

"Dig in!" Mrs. Granger said cheerily. "Anybody want orange juice?"

Conversation was reduced to a minimal, as none of the girls were quite awake yet. Mostly, they just yawned.

When the kitchen clock read 10:15, Mrs. Granger cried out. "Hurry! The others will be here soon, and you don't want to be in your pajamas when they arrive, now do you?"

Impossible as it may sound, the girls were frantic enough that they managed to get dressed, brush their teeth, and do their hair in less than 15 minutes. They congregated in the garden, where the girls chatted while the Granger parents set up a table off to one side. Allison chased butterflies through the flowerbeds.

10 minutes later, Hermione was getting anxious. "Where are they?" she wondered aloud. "They should be here by now!"

"Relax," Glynis told her. "Buses are late all the time."

"But they might have gotten lost!" Hermione fretted.

Kelly jumped in. "Did you give them directions?"

"Yes of course, in the first letter," Hermione said.

"I'm sure they'll be here soon," Noelle consoled her.

"Uh-huh," Hermione allowed, but she couldn't help but keep glancing over her shoulder at the street.

They chatted for several more minutes.

"Oi!" came a shout from the gate. The girls turned.

"Hi!" Hermione called.

Ginny pushed open the gate and ran to give Hermione a hug. "Happy birthday!" she screamed.

"Thanks, but it's not until Friday!" Hermione answered with a grin.

"Hi," said Ron awkwardly. Harry gave a wave.

Of course, Fred and George had to be the lives of the party. "Hermione! How have you been? It's absolutely spiffing to see you again! Hope you've been well!" George said.

"My, you've grown! The last time I saw you, you were only _this_ tall!" Fred held his hand at the exact height Hermione was now."

"Yes, hi, whatever." Hermione rolled her eyes and beckoned her old friends over.

"Guys, this is Harry, Ron, Ginny, Fred, and George." There was a general hi; how-are-you; Hermione's-talked-so-much-about-you – ing.

"This is Kelly."

The dark-haired girl with braids said hi.

"This is Noelle."

The blonde girl with lots of makeup waved.

"This is Rhiannon."

"Hi!" said the girl with brown hair with artificial red streaks and lots of eyeliner.

"And this is Glynis."

The girl with brown hair and shiny silver shoes waved. (A/n: I have the best shoes EVER!)

There was another chorusing of Hi's and Nice-to-meet-you's.

Hermione's parents walked over with Allison in tow. "Hi guys!" Mrs. Granger said.

"Good to see you again," said Mr. Granger.

"Hermione, are you going to introduce Allison?" Mrs. Granger prompted.

"Oh, right. Everybody, this is my little sister Allison," Hermione said. Allison hid behind her mom.

"You never told me you had a sister!" Ginny exclaimed. "Hi Allison, I'm Ginny." She knelt down to Allison's level. Allison gave her a shy smile.

"She's adopted," Hermione said.

"Hi Allison, I'm Ron!" Ron grinned at her. Allison backed further behind Mrs. Granger, and Hermione laughed. Ron pouted.

"Well, the girls just ate breakfast, but if you guys all came on the bus you're probably haven't eaten in a while. There are snacks on the table," Mr. Granger gestured to the garden buffet.

"Thanks!" Fred said. He and the other Hogwarts students hurried over to it. Allison followed Ginny. Hermione's parents followed.

(a/n: The group of Hogwarts students NOT including Hermione will henceforth be known as her "magical friends" and the group of non-magic girls will be known as her "muggle friends." Hopefully, we can avoid confusion. Hopefully. Maybe. Probably not.)

Hermione turned to her friends. "Well?" she asked.

"That one redhead is really cute," Rhiannon leaned around Hermione to watch them.

"Which one?" Hermione asked.

"Ron," Kelly said with a giggle.

Hermione turned bright red. "Um, I guess so."

Glynis watched Hermione's face carefully. She sensed something between Hermione and Ron.

"Ginny seems nice," Noelle added.

"They _all _are," Hermione corrected.

"Of course," Noelle amended.

"Are the two tall ones twins?" Kelly asked.

"The crazy ones?" Glynis added.

"Yeah, Fred and George." Hermione answered. "Yeah, they're twins." She glanced over at the snack table. "Would you excuse me?" she asked, and hurried over to her magical friends.

"_Ron!_" she hissed. "You're not supposed to use your wand as a fondue fork!" She grabbed the chocolate-covered wand from his and muttered "_scorgify!_" All the chocolate disappeared.

"Hey!" Ron yelped. "Watch what you do with my wand!"

"No wands in the fondue!" Hermione whispered loudly, and glanced guiltily at her muggle friends, several feet away. "And keep quiet. They're muggles, my parents are muggles, in fact everyone in this neighborhood except the six of us are muggles. So no wands!" She shoved the offending object back into Ron's hand and wandered casually back to her friends.

"Sorry about that," she laughed it off. "At Eastside we have _very_ strict etiquette rules, so whenever we get away, Ron tends to get a little…lazy."

"Ok then," Rhiannon was thoroughly confused. "You lost me at etiquette."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Never mind."

- Awkward pause -

"Sooo…what are we going to do?" Glynis asked.


End file.
